Building beyond the bricks: The LEGO Group launches its first full set of design elements to evolve its brand identity - Interbrand (2024)

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Building beyond the bricks: The LEGO Group launches its first full set of design elements to evolve its brand identity - Interbrand (1)

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Building beyond the bricks: The LEGO Group launches its first full set of design elements to evolve its brand identity

New York
March 18, 2024

The LEGO Group is evolving its brand identity to build a more consistent design experience for its audience. Beyond its iconic logo it has created a new set of design elements to bring the joy and pride of building and creating to life in a whole new way – consisting of cohesive design language, refreshed assets and architecture, with the famous LEGO System-in-Play at its heart.

The wider design system is being rolled out globally, across all product ranges and digital platforms, in partnership with global branding consultancy, Interbrand.

The LEGO Group has been the master of constant reinvention for more than 90 years, and remains one of the most loved brands in the world (Talkwalker). Its iconic LEGO elements have remained relevant because of the LEGO System-in-Play – the LEGO elements bought many years ago will still fit perfectly with LEGO elements bought in the future.

The LEGO Group has always been committed to making creative play accessible through its own franchises and partners like The Walt Disney Company, Lucasfilm, Warner Brothers, Epic Games and more. The LEGO Group offer the chance for discovery and invention for both children and adults where they can enjoy a range of different play experiences depending on their interests and passions, there is something for everyone.

The product’s incredible success led to a unique challenge – there was a need to build on and evolve its own brand DNA that could be easily recognised across all products and digital experiences.

The LEGO Group has seen incredible growth over the last two decades which has cemented them as one of the world’s most loved companies. The LEGO logo has always been a consistent recognisable design element but the brand needed to be able to offer a fluid and cohesive brand experience across all physical products and digital platforms.

With the LEGO Group’s strong attention to detail and focus on quality, there was the opportunity to strengthen the connection within the ecosystem that had already been created.

Over the last two years, the LEGO Group’s in-house creative and strategic agency, Our LEGO Agency (OLA), in partnership with Interbrand, has worked to bring consistency and connectivity to all of the LEGO Group’s brand experiences across its entire ecosystem. OLA and Interbrand created a set of design elements that the LEGO Group could own to evolve its existing brand identity across all physical products and in the digital world.

OLA and Interbrand dove into the company’s history to search for brand equity that could be elevated. What stood out was the care the company had put into pursuing its vision – to help children learn through play. Recognising that the company’s youngest fans are still learning to read, Interbrand and OLA researched modes of visual storytelling. They found a promising answer in the semiotics of comic books and replicated these design elements when creating the brand experience.

This included using LEGO minifigures, cells and speech bubbles, as well as Action Graphics – which provide a set of visual tools that allow one to narrate their own stories and feel a sense of emotion when playing with LEGO products.

Building beyond the bricks: The LEGO Group launches its first full set of design elements to evolve its brand identity - Interbrand (2)

The creative solution to evolving a brand identity
OLA and Interbrand worked across the entire brand portfolio, connecting the dots between the business; ultimately assessing 23 guidelines and over 110 separate principles. They consolidated these into five key design principles (Design for your audience, Build from its System-in-Play, Tell stories, Be playful and optimistic, and Keep it simple).

The iconic LEGO System-in-Play was placed at the heart of the work and a design system was built around it.

1.
The “clutch system” – Interbrand and OLA created a “clutch system” (named LEGO Brick Pro), enabling the process of building LEGO elements to be replicated digitally in the form of a font (or 130 glyphs). This could then be used to quickly build holding shapes, illustrations, UI buttons, and more using the same geometry as the bricks. For example, an instore big button made out of LEGO elements could be built at the same ratio to transition between physical and digital experiences.

Building beyond the bricks: The LEGO Group launches its first full set of design elements to evolve its brand identity - Interbrand (3)

2.
The typeface – based on the type discovered in the LEGO company archive, Interbrand and OLA (in partnership with Colophon) introduced the first dedicated LEGO brand typeface – LEGO Typewell®, which is used across all physical products and digital platforms. Inspired by the LEGO geometry of the System-in-Play, Typewell® will be deployed globally across 120 languages.

3.
Action graphics – these primary elements are supported by “Action Graphics,” which add dynamism, drama, and emotion to images using LEGO elements instead of words. Made from 58 LEGO elements.

4.
Motion principles – these are branded ways of transitioning, editing or moving design elements. OLA and Interbrand built these based on how people play with LEGO elements, including separating, dropping, and even mistakes based on how people play with the product.

Thomas Holst Sørensen, Global Head of Design at Our LEGO Agency, said: “The LEGO Group has been the master of constant reinvention for 90 years. LEGO play offers the chance for discovery and invention, where you can always create something new from something familiar. Our new brand DNA reflects what is important for the LEGO brand. It is a beautiful, simple, and well-constructed system that both unifies and breaks free the creative and playful expression of our brand and product experiences.”

Oliver Maltby, Executive Creative Director, Portfolio Lead at Interbrand, said: “The LEGO Group’s archives were a treasure trove of elements that contributed to crafting the final solution – a mix of storytelling pieces that we used to build out a full LEGO set just as iconic and timeless as the brick itself. The playfulness of the new identity reinforces the vision of the LEGO brand as a global force for learning through play.”

By honouring the brands heritage and the product with a set of clear design elements, it is able to create a consistent brand experience for its evolving audience. Its enhanced brand identity is building increased global recognition for the brand and already driving efficiency, consistency, and excitement inside and outside the organisation.

The LEGO Group

The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.

The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well”. Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. However, its products are now sold in more than 130 countries worldwide.

For more news from the LEGO Group, information about our financial performance and responsibility engagement, please visit www.LEGO.com/aboutus.

Interbrand

Tina Goldstone
[emailprotected]

Interbrand has been a world leading brand consultancy for over 5 decades – having pioneered iconic work and forged many of the brand building tools that are commonplace across the industry today.

In collaboration with the world’s leading brands, Interbrand’s global team of thinkers and makers are pioneering the future of brand building. By turning customers into active participants, Interbrand helps clients strengthen their brands on an ongoing basis – its approach gives them the confidence to make Iconic Moves that spark desire and create utility, driving extraordinary results.

Interbrand is a part of Omnicom’s (NYSE:OMC) Brand Consulting Group.

Building beyond the bricks: The LEGO Group launches its first full set of design elements to evolve its brand identity - Interbrand (2024)

FAQs

What is Lego's new design identity? ›

This new design identity aims to revitalize the brand's image in a way that resonates with its core values, which have been integral since its establishment in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen. The new LEGO logo, featuring bubble writing, serves as a visual representation of ownership and quality.

What are the Lego design elements? ›

In total, Lego and Interbrand assessed 23 guidelines and over 110 separate principles. This was then simplified down into five key design principles, which are: design for your audience, build from its system-in-play, tell stories, be playful and optimistic, plus keep it simple.

What is the slogan of LEGO? ›

The Lego Group's motto, "only the best is good enough" (Danish: det bedste er ikke for godt, literally "the best isn't excessively good") was created in 1936.

What does LEGO stand for? ›

The name 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”.

Why did LEGO change its name? ›

LEg GOdt becomes the LEGO® name

The company changes its name after Ole Kirk Kristiansen allegedly holds a competition among his employees to find a good name for the business.

What is the design process for LEGO? ›

First, we come up with the idea for an exciting new theme, like LEGO® Hidden Side, or a new series within an existing theme, like LEGO® City Space Explorers. Then the design team works on coming up with different sized sets with loads of cool features that will appeal to a wide range of LEGO® fans.

What is the oldest LEGO logo? ›

Starting in 1936 an ink stamp “LEGO Fabriken Billund” was used on the wooden toys. This logo was first introduced in 1939 or 1940. It was used extensively on wooden toys, typically in the form of an applied decal, for the next 10 years.

Why are LEGOs so expensive? ›

The precision manufacturing process ensures that Legos fit together perfectly, enhancing the overall building experience for users. Additionally, the extensive research and development invested in designing innovative sets that cater to various themes and interests also adds to the cost.

Does LEGO have a logo? ›

This is why the LEGO Group is very active around the world in making sure that its trademarks are not misused. The bright red LEGO logo has become one of the most recognized trademarks in the world. We have worked hard to make this logo a symbol of high quality creative products for children.

Who is CEO of LEGO? ›

Niels B. Christiansen is Chief Executive Officer & President of the LEGO Group. He joined the company in October 2017. As CEO, Niels manages the executive leadership team on the LEGO Group's mission to bring LEGO® play to children all over the world.

Does Disney own LEGO? ›

The LEGO Group is a privately-owned Danish multinational company that manufactures and licenses LEGO brand toys, video games, and theme parks.

What does LEGO mean in slang? ›

Lego is short for the Danish phrase “leg godt”. Leg got means “play well" in English.

What is innovative about LEGO? ›

LEGO's turnaround

It started testing the idea of crowdsourcing product ideas from consumers with a platform that enabled fans to create and vote on designs, with the most popular being taken to market. The test spawned a string of successful products and the programme was officially launched as LEGO Ideas.

How are new LEGO sets designed? ›

Once they've figured out what kind of sets are the right ones, they'll build those ideas using existing pieces, and sometimes design new LEGO® pieces when necessary. We do lots of testing to make sure the sets are fun to build and play with and can stay together when they're flying or driving around.

How did LEGO rebrand itself? ›

That's changing with the launch of a full brand identity built in-house brick-by-brick. Covering physical products and digital, the playful new branding takes advantage of the recognisable form of Lego bricks to construct both digital and physical assets with an emphasis on learning through play.

How does LEGO use design thinking? ›

LEGO also developed LEGO Serious Play to leverage design thinking methodologies to foster creative problem solving through a facilitated workshop methodology. LSP workshops allow participants to use the bricks to build prototypes reflecting their thoughts, ideas, concepts, and solutions (Elmansy, 2023).

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